The Pottermore RP

Michael was glad Lucas showed up when he did, as he had begun to calculate just how much of the Hufflepuff boy's hand he could get his Geranium to bite off whilst still being able to pass it off as an accident. "Good morning, sleeping beauty." he chuckled, waiting for Lucas to get his gloves on. "I thought I woke you up, not knocked you unconscious."

Michael was waiting for a reply, when the Geranium bit him. He swore rather loudly, attracting the attention of Professor Longbottom, but he was easily placated by an apologetic grin and shrug. Michael then glared at the flower, and slapped it, causing it to shrink away from him. "I didn't take any notes, as you could probably have guessed. Just hold it so I can get the damn thing's fangs." he added, looking at Lucas out of the corner of his eye.

Lucas put his gloves chuckling slightly at the geranium biting Michael's hand. "No, I fell over into to one of those stupid suits of armour while running to class" he replied back. Lucas went into hold the plant dodging the plants snapping fangs before grabbing hold of the plant so Michael could get the fangs without his hands ending up with pieces missing, the bite earlier was revenge enough for the bed incident earlier that morning.

Michael frowned. "You did? Jeez, sorry about that. I'm guessing everything's okay now?" he said, as he grabbed hold of the plant's fangs. He waited a second to make sure he had the right grip, before he yanked the teeth out. The geranium thrashed around, and Michael flinched. "Sorry, little fella, something tells me I didn't do that right."

Michael shot a look at Lucas as he deposited the fangs into the bowl, and said, "If it makes you feel any better, I still have a chocolate frog or two from the train ride. I can give you one at Lunch, if you want." Michael then proceeded to grab the next plant in line, and hold it as best he could for Lucas.

"I'm fine, it was nothing really" Lucas tried to shrug it off wanting to rustle his partners hair before realising where his hands were and carried on holding the plant. Lucas prepared himself for his turn, his somewhat more relaxed demeanour meant he could quickly yank some fangs out before depositing them into a bowl, he then looked up at his partner "No, it's fine" before shying his attention back to the fangs he just removed.

Most of the class of Gryffindors and Slytherins kept to their own group of friends within their house, although there were a few exceptions.

Garrick Alder slid up to Darius Gray in the mass of people and poked him in the shoulder.

“Yes?” Darius responded in an attempt to maintain his cold Slytherin facade. “Is there something you want, Gryffindor?”

But Garrick only pointed to the other people having their own conversations. “Cut the act, mate, no-one’s paying attention.

“Sorry, man,” Darius said as he looked around to be sure that the rest of the class was paying them no mind. “Don’t want to chance anything. You know how Eris is…”

“Yeah well, we didn’t get a chance to catch up on the train,” Garrick said. “What have you been up to all summer?”

“Just learning some transfiguration and charms,” Darius said.

“Lord, you make boring vacations an artform, you know that?”

In another part of the class, Brodie Troughton stopped to catch as his breath which caused him to fall far behind everyone else. However in his effort to catch up, he nearly collided into Sidney Devlin, his Gryffindor teammate.

“Ugh, sorry, Sid….just err, excited to be back y’know?”

But Sid only guffawed and jabbed Brodie with his wand. Despite the fact that Brodie was both bigger and taller than he was, Sid had no trouble teasing the quidditch player. “Ya know, for someone as good a seeker as you are, you’re still a klutz.”

“Well, usually I’ve got a broom on hand…That usually helps.” Brodie said in response. Brodie brushed his cloak and gradually edged back, only to see there was nowhere else to go, sighing as he walked back towards Sid.

Sid hit him in the back. “It’s okay really. We still love you.”

Meanwhile Violet Vaelos kept to herself and did not join in any of the other conversations. After Professor Hagrid had announced that they were going to the lake, it consumed her thoughts. She pursed her lips slightly, thinking of all the possible things they would encounter Grindylows, selkies, the giant squid...whatever it was, she was going to need to be ready. She gripped her wand, cedar with dragon heartstring, and mulled over some offensive and defensive spells.

“Alrigh’ everyone!” Hagrid commanded the class in his booming voice. Everyone dropped their idle chatter and turned to their professor and listened attentively. It was very important to pay close attention in a Care of Magical Creatures class, lest someone got seriously hurt. “Today, we'll be learnin' abou' the Hippocampus!”

Brodie nodded, but under his breath he said, “anything outside of those damned fire crabs is fine by me...”

Hagrid took out a strange, whistle-like shell from a pouch and blew on one end, creating a sound not unlike a shrill horse's whinny.

Garrick flinched at the sound while Violet furrowed her brow thoughtfully. Darius turned to look at the vast lake was found himself slightly bored that nothing was happening. Sidney felt disappointed that this wouldn’t be a more action packed class.

A few moments later, a shadow appeared under the surface of the lake, followed by the head of a full grown mare surfacing. The horse pulled itself out of the lake onto two hooves, the rest of its body remaining under the water.

Garrick studied the animal quizzically, opening his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with his free hand.

“So...that's a hippocampus? Does it, er...do anything?” Darius said.

“And they say Slytherins are supposed to be smart,” said Sid. He rolled his eyes.

“Does it really need to?” said Brodie as he gazed at the creature with intrigue, but no one paid attention to his comment.

“Shows how much a Gryffindor knows,” said Darius harshly. “Cunning doesn’t mean the same thing as knowing what a bloody specific magical creature is.”

The two boys glared at each other in annoyance. Sid longed to hex Darius, but he knew better. Even Hagrid wouldn’t tolerate that kind of nonsense. Brodie sighed at his misfortune of being so close to the arguing and hoped Sidney wouldn’t somehow pull him into this.

Professor Hagrid, who had been teaching for many years now, knew when to pick his battles and this one was one to ignore. They could work that out for themselves. “Well, this 'ere is Sugarcube, 'least tha's what I call her,” he continued with his lesson. “Well, this 'ere is Sugarcube, 'least tha's what I call her. They're sorta like an underwater horse.”

Sugarcube pulled herself more out of the water, pulling her lower half onto the land to reveal an enormous fish's tail covered in brilliant scales. Most of the class sighed in wonder at her magnificence.

“Well, the fish part is kinda pretty,” Darius said to himself.

“Kinda?” Brodie repeated. “That thing's absolutely beautiful!”

“What will we be doing with her today?” Sid asked.

Without warning, Garrick began to elbow Darius who responded by elbowing him back. It was a friendly gesture between two (albeit not exactly public) friends. However Sidney eyed the scene and put his hand around his wand’s handle, wondering if he should intervene, but nothing conspired because Hagrid’s next words commanded the class’s attention.

“Well, I was goin' teh have one o' the merpeople show ye how they, er, they sorta ride them under the water, in a way. But if someone, say, wanted to volunteer, I think I 'ave some Gillyweed...”

Darius edged to the back of the group at the word "volunteer" but Sid jumped the gun before the class could even react.

“I’ll do it,” he said while Hagrid checked the grounds to make sure there were no other teachers.

“Always the risk taker…” Brodie said.

“You know it!”

“Just don’t kill yourself before we get on the pitch, all right?”

Violet muttered somethings akin to 'gryffindors' under her breath.

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Sid dismissively. “What’s the worst that could happen in this class?”

Sid suddenly remembered the hippogriff incident from years back that he heard someone mention. But that was because a Slytherin was too stupid to follow directions. Meanwhile, Hagrid went over to a box he carried with him from the cabin and took a strangely shaped half saddle and a set of reins, and began strapping them to Sugarcube.

“Now don' you worry, Sugarcube here is a perfectly calm ride,” said Hagrid. “Now, does anyone here know how to make a really big shield!?"

“With magic or actual workmanship?” Violet asked.

“Er, with magic, Miss Vaelos,” said Hagird.

Sidney ogled at the question, but kept his tongue this time. I hope she really didn’t expect Hagrid to have them make physical shields or something, he thought to himself.

“Well, can anyone use one o' the bigger shield Charms?” Hagrid continued.

“Ehh...charms were never quite my forte, but I did make a pretty large shield...once,” Brodie said.

“We jus' need one for the class, I think Protego Totalum would be more than enough.”

“Oh come on Brodie! Your Shield Charms are fine! Go for it!” Sid said to his teammate. Sometimes he wished the guy could have a little more confidence in himself.

“Fine, fine...” Brodie resigned. “Though I'm not taking the fall for this one though if something goes wrong...” He took a breath before lifting his wand. “Protego!” He flicked his wand upward, and thankfully, the shield managed to manifest correctly.

Garrick moved over to Brodie. “Er, isn't that a bit small for us to all fit in, mate?”

But Violet took charge of the situation. She rolled her eyes and quickly took out her wand. “Protego Totalum.”

“Oh...err...guess you're right about that...” said Brodie as he eyed Violet’s perfected shield.

“And then you let a Slytherin show you up...tsk tsk,” said Sid, just loud enough to be heard by a few of his classmates.

“Let's you and I help sustain the big one, eh?” Garrick encouraged Brodie.

“Uh, yeah, sure..”

“Alrigh' then, you all get under the shield while I finish with Sid 'ere,” said Hagrid.

Darius opened his bag to get his Transfiguration book, and then put it back almost immediately after seeing the scene.

Garrick stepped under the shield with Brodie. Violet waved her wand while saying an incantatation; it powerfully sparked with light before the group was encased in the large shield.

“Mind if we help out?” asked Garrick. Violet nodded to Garrick while she continued muttering the spell. Garrick raised his wand and motioned for Brodie to do the same. Brodie let out a sigh of embarrassment as he proceeded to do so.

“Protego Totalum.”

“Protego Totalum...” Brodie repeated.

Garrick added his power to the spell and began moving the shield over to the water. Violet continued her concentration, moving with the others towards the lake. Brodie followed the two, tightly gripping his wand as they continued to move the shield

“Don't forget to leave it open on top and not let it submerge all the way, we need air,” Garrick said helpfully. Violet snorted slightly; there was no need to tell her that.

Darius followed into the shield along with the other students who weren’t helping to keep up the shield.

“Now Sid, you and I'll be eatin' this.” Hagrid took two large pieces of Gillyweed from a pouch.

Sid had heard of Gillyweed but had never eaten it before although he heard it tasted horrible. Hagrid handed Sid one of the pieces of Gillyweed, then steps away to eat his own.

Sid took one of the pieces then remembered to take off his shoes before consuming the plant which felt (and looked) disgusting. After a few seconds he saw his hands and feet transform as webbing grew between his fingers and toes. Gills formed on his neck... It would go down as the one of the strangest sensations he’d ever experienced.

“Alrigh', now Sugarcube, you be nice to Sid, aye?” Hagrid said to the hippocampus. He signaled for her to reenter the water, where she floated, waiting for Sid.

“Ye ready?”

Sid nodded, eager to get under the water to breathe. He stepped into the cool water and climbs aboard the creatures back. Sugarcube slid under the water, swimming up to the bubble with Sid. He felt relief as the water rushes over his gills providing much needed oxygen. He marveled at the underwater world as they swam toward his classmates.

Hagrid tapped the bubble. “Can ye all hear me!?” They all nodded affirmatively. Violet gazed at the scene in interest. Garrick and Brodie also watched, but they made sure to keep the majority of their focus on maintaining the magical shield.

“Alrigh', now Sugarcube, why don't ye take Sid for a ride. Hold on tight!”

Sid tightly gripped the reins. He wasn't sure how fast this thing could swim and didn't want to be that person who ruined the class. He'd never live that down.

The hippocampus shook itself slightly, then began swimming, slowly at first, to ensure her charge was holding on, then slowly picking up speed until she was moving nearly as fast as a broomstick through the water, making graceful twists and turns as she does.

“Yet another magical marvel...” Violet sighed..

Darius watched on in a very slight amount of awe. He'd probably find this more fascinating if he wasn't taking this class because he needed to.

“Takes a lot to impress you, doesn't it?” Brodie asked Violet.

“Not really,” she answered. “You just have to find the right thing for me to be impressed by.”

“Fair enough...”

Sid laughed at himself for thinking this wouldn't be a fun class. It was far more comfortable than it looked and Sid was able to marvel at the underwater world one wouldn't have guessed existed under the lake's surface. He saw a grindylow lurking a short distance away but concluded that it wouldn't be a danger to him.

The rest of the class passed, with Hagrid having Sid act as assistant, talking about the various ways to care for a Hippocampus, dangers, and even having a merman bring one of Sugarcube's eggs, which is semi-transparent, allowing the class to see the developing tadfoal inside. Darius was secretly hoping for a mermaid instead.

The Gillyweed began wearing off. Sidney felt like the class went by quickly as he felt himself returning to normal. Hagrid motioned for the class to move back up to the surface. Sid took a deep breath of air once he and the hippocampus had returned to the lake shore. Garrick began moving the shield out of the water, a bit tired from sustaining it for so long, but otherwise none the worse for wear. Violet also directed the shield back to shore with her classmates, and when they are all safe recited ‘Finite Incantatem.’ Brodie and Garrick followed suit. She smiled a little bit at the fact that she got to help. Darius followed the others back up to the surface and was eager to get to his next class.

“I told you not to worry, Brodie!” said Sid. He wished he had remembered the spell to help dry his clothes with now felt heavy.

“Thank heavens for that...that's all I can say...” Brodie replied.

Hagrid got the classes attention again. “Alrigh' class, yer homework is teh look up the five best foods fer a Hippocampus, and write a foot of parchment on why they're good for 'em. I'll see ye all next class, have to go dry off, meself.” He picked up the box with the Hippocampus equipment and waddled back to the cabin in his wet clothing.

Darius sighs heavily before heading back to the castle. Violet also sighs softly, but nonetheless pulls out a notebook and writes down the assignment
“
Eh, a foot of homework isn't bad at all. It'll better than my arithmancy homework,” Sid said as he committed the assignment to memory.

Sidney felt foolish at the simple suggestion, but wasn't about to admit that after accusing Darius of being a moron. “Right,” he said roughly.

“Do keep it in mind.” She turned on her heel with a smile and returned to the Slytherin group.

Sid glowered. “Typical. An insufferable Slytherin snob...” he said under his breath.

Garrick went up to Brodie. “You did pretty good today, mate, hope we'll see that focus on the Quidditch pitch.”

“Heh...if that's how I look on the pitch, then I can just kiss that snitch goodbye...” Brodie said. “But thanks anyways. You did pretty good yourself.” He grumbled at the rather sharp reminder of last year’s Slytherin game.

Sid turned his attention to Brodie and Garrick before he could do something to the Slytherin that would lose them house points.

“I think I'm going to try and get that homework done before my next class, it's not too much...” Garrick said and began to wander away.

“Hey!” Sidney called to Garrick. “When is the first practice?”

“Saturday!”

“Looking forward to it!” Brodie said excitedly.

All in all, it proved to be a pretty good start to their first day of classes.

Rose shook her head. “You’re not useless at all. If this is your first time dealing with them, it’s a challenge.” She thought back to the holidays she would spend with wizarding relatives. “My great-auntie has a collection of these and she showed me how to handle them. She can somehow defang without wearing gloves and she still has all her fingers. I’m not that confident.”

Having a green thumb seemed to run in her family on both sides—magical and muggle. Herbology was one of Rose’s favorite subjects and she was initially concerned about their new professor, the famous Neville Longbottom, but she found that there was no reason to be anxious. He was every bit as competent as Professor Sprout so the class proved enjoyable so far. Fanged geraniums were some of her favorite plants. She purposefully grabbed the stems and carefully removed the fangs and somehow avoided being bitten.

“Oh, and Sid and I in the same house? No way,” Rose said. “After my aunt and uncle told me about how Hogwarts houses worked, I realised that Sid and I would never be in the same house. We get along but we have very different mentalities.”

After answering her question, Rose found herself surprised yet again by Laura’s shy disposition. She also didn’t like that Laura seemed to be discouraged by the fanged geraniums…

“By the way, would you like some help defanging? We can take turns holding the stem and pulling out the fangs.”

Laura watched in awe as Rose deftly defanged the plant, not even getting a single bite on her fingers as it writhed around. Though she claimed to not be as good as her great-aunt at the job, Rose was doing a much better than everyone else, and Laura couldn’t help but wonder if her partner was just being modest.

And when Rose brought up how it came as no surprise that she and Sid would be different houses, Laura found herself agreeing after a bit of thought. Really, though family they were, the twins were pretty different, personality-wise. At least, that’s what she could deduce from her limited interaction with both siblings, Sid on the Quidditch field and Rose, well, here. This was only further confirmed when Rose offered to help Laura defang, and the Hufflepuff sighed gratefully. “That would be great, thanks” she said as her partner held onto the Fanged Geranium.

The girl cautiously extended a hand towards the plant, but when it began thrashing about, she couldn’t help but flinch back. She bit her lip, forcing herself not to give up. Rose could do it, so it shouldn’t be so bad, she thought as she tried again. After a bit of going back and forth, Laura finally managed to defang the thing without it biting her, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. For the rest of class, the girls took turns defanging or holding Fanged Geraniums, until their small container was filled.

When class ended, Laura pouted slightly, having enjoyed talking to and spending time with Rose. Being in different houses, they wouldn’t be able to see each other as often as she would have liked, though she knew she would be able to see her new friend around school and at least in this class, and probably at the next Quidditch match, too. Rose would probably be cheering for Sid’s team, though it would only be natural; they were siblings after all, even if they were in different houses. She almost missed Professor Longbottom giving them their assignment (two and a half feet of parchment on how to grow and nurture Fanged Geraniums before they were ready for harvest) as her mind wandered off to Quidditch.

Traditionally, the first game of the year would be Gryffindor versus Slytherin, but whoever was in charge of the Quidditch games felt like it would be a good idea to change things up a bit this year. According to her captain, the first game this year would be them against Gryffindor. Laura considered the setup, thinking about her games against them in the previous years. Except for maybe Brodie, she felt most of the other members on the opposing team were arrogant, bold, and overall brash. This made their tactics seem probably overconfident and aggressive, but she had to remind herself that her team lost against them last year. And why did they lose? Because Laura wasn’t quick enough to grab the snitch, and it had nothing to do with foul play or dirty tactics or-

No, she wouldn’t let that happen again. She gave her head a slight shake and waved at Rose, smiling warmly if somewhat competitively as she continued to think about the upcoming game. “I’ll see you at the first game then, I hope!” she exclaimed excitedly as she forced herself not to skip off to join the other people in her house, still fantasizing and strategizing for the match.

Within the dreary barroom of the Three Broomsticks Inn in Hogsmeade, Brodie Troughton slammed another two sickles down onto the bar table, groggily shouting “keep ‘em coming” over to the bartender, who eventually passed over another mug of butterbeer to the disgruntled looking young wizard. Empty mugs were scattered all over the table as a result of Brodie’s binging, and with a sigh, the muggleborn Gryffindor gulped down his latest serving in his futile attempt to drown out the damn memories that just wouldn’t go away.

At around the same time, Rose Devlin was looking down Hogsmeade’s main road, seeking out a warm sanctuary from the cold winter air. Her first thought was to accompany her brother, Sid, but upon hearing him and his rowdy crowd, long before actually seeing them, she quickly nixed that idea. Instead, she decided to head over to the Three Broomsticks just to get something to warm her up. As she walked into the old building, her eyes immediately fell upon a babbling figure at a nearby table. It came as a surprise to her when she realized it was the Gryffindor seeker, having expected him to be with the rest of his teammates elsewhere. Her initial instinct was to rub the loss in, but, she then noticed he was clearly in bad shape…

“I should’ve seen that damned thing coming after my arm like that…but I was so close…I could just feel the fluttering tickle of that snitch’s wings…” Brodie murmured to himself gloomily as the events of Gryffindor’s embarrassing loss to Hufflepuff in the first Quidditch match of the year replayed in his head. “…and here I go, still telling myself the same story like a madman…not like anyone else would wanna hear my moaning and wailing. I’m worse than that ghost girl in the lavatories”

Hearing all this, Rose decided to swallow her Quidditch pride as she approached him.

“Hey…are you going to be all right?” She asked concernedly. Brodie blinked at the realization that someone was talking in his direction. Turning to see who it was, his eyes widened a bit when he noticed the girl in blue laced robes looking at him. Always a bit intimidated by Ravenclaws, he quickly turned away and stared at his half-empty beverage, mumbling “um, yeah…I’m fine…” just loud enough for it to be coherent to the girl, who took the response as an opportunity to continue the conversation.

“I’m honestly surprised you’re not with Sid terrorizing the rest of the village,” she remarked.

“I don’t exactly spend much time with the rest of the team outside of practice…I’m not exactly a hellraiser like them…” Brodie mumbled back, taking another swig of his drink, looking down at one of the remaining scars on his left arm from where the bludger hit him, the injury gone, but the pain occasionally returning every so often, especially when he thought about it.

“May I sit down?” Rose asked him, snapping him out of this and reminding him he was in fact, talking to someone else at the moment.

“Sure, if you want. The bar’s for everyone and all that…” He said as the Ravenclaw took a seat across from him.

“I assumed that everyone on a Quidditch team was the best of friends. Y’know, comradery and all that. It was still a great match though.” Rose said as the subject of Quidditch continued to linger.

“Comradery or not, they only see me as a fat duffer now anyways because of that fall…But I’m sure it must’ve looked thrilling from an outside perspective. At least getting beat by someone as deserving as Laura eases the pain a little.” Brodie replied, recalling the sound of cheering as Laura won the game for her house, who had already been completely dominating the entire match from the very get-go. Brodie wasn’t even sure if snagging the snitch would’ve even won Gryffindor the game considering the point difference, but that still wasn’t an excuse in his eyes.

Upon hearing what Brodie had to say, Rose felt bad for even considering rubbing Gryffindor’s defeat in his face, choosing instead to try and cheer the boy up somewhat. “Laura is actually in my herbology class…I didn’t think I’d meet another Seeker who was this down about himself.” She said, recalling the Hufflepuff seeker’s modest, and rather shy nature outside of the Quidditch pitch. “For what it’s worth, I’ve heard Sid mention you. He doesn’t feel you’re a fat duffer, and besides, I’ve seen him do worse during a Quidditch match.” She continued, hoping that such talk of her occasionally bombastic brother would lift Brodie’s spirits a little. Thankfully, the Gryffindor seemed to chuckle a little at this.

“Well, he’s a character, that’s for certain…and if he’s spoken to you, I can only assume you must be his sister then…” He declared as the girl’s identity was cleared up somewhat more, thanks to this revelation.

“Oh! How rude of me! I didn’t even introduce myself. Yes, I’m Sid’s twin sister Rose.” She said, seemingly a little embarrassed by the delayed introduction.

“I’ve heard a thing or two from him about you. Even from his, uh, selective terms, you sound like a much more competent example of the Devlin family.”

“Believe me, he’s the incompetent one in the family. He’s nothing like any of us. He’s been like this all through school even before we started at Hogwarts.”

This came as hardly a surprise to Brodie, who was far more acquainted with this behavior than he likely wished to be. “Heh…figured as much…It’s a pleasure to meet you Rose.” He said as he held out a hand to shake. “Brodie Troughton...uh, in case you didn’t know or anything. They don’t often announce my name during the games. Kinda just call me ‘the Gryffindor seeker’ and that’s that.”

Rose gladly reciprocated the handshake. “That’s because most of our recent announcers are…not good.” She said, refraining from using any more…well…more particularly insulting terms.

“Guess you’re right about that…nothing like some of the graduates we used to have before I started playing…” Brodie remarked. After a slight pause emanated, he shakily continued. “Uh…s-sorry if I’m not the greatest conversationalist by the way…these butterbeers can get to ya…and it’s been a while since I last spoke on good terms with a Ravenclaw.” He was comfortable enough to admit this now, much to his own surprise, and fortunately, Rose didn’t seem to take any offense to this.

“No, it’s fine! Social awkwardness is kinda my thing as well…and even I get intimidated by my own house sometimes. I feel like I’m not smart enough to be there so I get along best with the quirkier people…” She admitted herself, an insecurity that Brodie shared with her.

“Heh…I’m sure you’re smart enough. Wisdom can be found in a lot of different places…you probably just haven’t quite found just what you’re so brilliant in yet…At least, that’s what Lynn would always say to her classmates…My sister just graduated from your house last year. Not sure if you may have known her…she got around a bit more than me, to be sure.” Brodie said as he attempted to say something encouraging, the mention of his sister proving an apt reminder to the Ravenclaw.

“Ah, I thought your surname seemed familiar. Lynn is seriously brilliant…and you’re right. I need to just find my own place instead of sitting around feeling insecure about things. Actually, Sid also tells me that, but it still has yet to sink in I guess…”

“Has to sink in for us both, really. He’s told me the same sorta thing…Guess I don’t really display the whole courage thing that we Gryffindors supposedly have.” Brodie murmured, still as baffled as he’d always been about being placed in such a noble house known for its courageous, heroic alumni…people he’d never imagine he could ever measure up to.

“I’d like to think that some of us grow into our house traits as time goes on and the Sorting Hat somehow knows…that’s how it was with my uncle. He got sorted into Slytherin, but it took ages for him to learn how to harness his ambition.” Rose said, her words given quite a bit of thought by the Gryffindor.

“…hmm…I suppose you’re right. Would be nice to figure it out before we graduated though, y’know? Maybe then I could find the confidence to get better at that transfiguration stuff.”

“Ha! I definitely agree. I can get good grades and everything, but I want to find my calling the way my father found his. I honestly think if he hadn’t been a squib, he would also be a Ravenclaw like me. He decided to be an engineer when he was my age and never backed down…” Rose said, the revelation that her father was a squib drawing Brodie’s attention.

“Really now? Good for him, then! I’m not too familiar with squibs, admittedly, though I suppose having muggle folks is close enough. Heh…honestly, I feel like I’m just a muggle in a wizard’s body at times. Too used to the old life of electronics and land-bound vehicles.”

Rose hesitated before saying more, but, Brodie was different…and she was sure Sid wouldn’t mind too much if she told him about a little more. “Sid is the same. We both miss the muggle world when we’re here, but it’s more intense for him. He’s competent enough with his magic, but if he can do a task without it, he will. And don’t get me started on how he misses the internet and videogames.”

This came as quite a surprise to Brodie, especially after seeing Sid so eagerly take to such magical activities, particularly that little series of events at Care of Magical Creatures. One would’ve never imagined that Sid was missing the muggle world with all the fun he seemed to be having.

“You don’t say…Guess when someone’s that cocky, they’re usually hiding something…Surprising that we’d have such a similarity. All the people I’ve known here seem to be more than willing to get away from muggle life every year…Good to know I’m not the only one who misses it sometimes.” He said with a grin, now in a far better mood than he was earlier.

“You know, Brodie, you’re a pretty awesome person to talk to. I really didn’t expect that. That’s what I get for merely going with my first preconceptions.” Rose said, causing Brodie to chuckle a little, blushing just ever so slightly after hearing such a rare complement before he quickly finished off his butterbeer to hide the sheepish expression.

“Just glad to have someone outside of my own house to talk to for once. They’re a great bunch, but, it’s refreshing to have a…shall we say…more civilized conversation?”

“Glad to hear it…and don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ll get your revenge soon.” Rose said assuredly as she eyed all the empty glasses of butterbeer.

“Well, against Slytherin, that would be most satisfactory.”

“I bet! I always wish Ravenclaw had such an intense rivalry, but alas, I think I’m the only one who cares that much.”

“Well, at least I’ll know who the one girl in blue who’s screaming at the top of her lungs is now, right?” Brodie said with a laugh. “You guys are a tough team anyways, so, you have every right to be proud of your house there…along with the whole academic reputation of course.”

“Oh, I’m certainly proud of my house, and I look forward to the Ravenclaw-Gryffindor match.” Rose said as she looked at her watch, rising from her seat. Brodie took this moment to actually look at the scattered mugs on the table, the sight, combined with the sudden light feeling in his pocket, informing him that he’d had enough for one night.

“Hmm, it’s about time to start going back to the castle…and I didn’t even order anything to drink after all. I guess I’ll get that gillywater next time.” Rose said.

“I’d love to buy you one myself, but…I seem to have used up all the sickles I brought with me…I promise you though, your next gillywater, on me. Least I can do.”

“Thanks in advance!” Rose said, smiling at the offer. “I’ll be cheering for Gryffindor next time as well. I’m sure Sid would be surprised.”

Brodie smiled back at this. “I’m sure he will be, and thank you as well. Now, we’d better get back to the castle before it gets too dark. Sneaking past prefects is not exactly my greatest skill.” He joked as they both left the inn and back into the chilly winter air as they headed back to Hogwarts.

A few months passed since the kids went back to Hogwarts. Halloween had come and gone, and along with it the annual feast of delicious food and whatnot. The first Quidditch match of the season had also been played, and Hufflepuff emerged victorious against Gryffindor.

It was now early December, and Garrick Alder was sitting, oddly enough, alone in the Hog’s Head Inn, sipping at a Butterbeer as everyone else milled around Hogsmeade noisily and merrily. Laura, too, wandered through Hogsmeade, not quite sure what to do in the village as usual. As she approached Hog's Head, she decided to enter, feeling that the place was both more comfortable and also probably quieter than places like the Three Broomsticks. Walking up to the bar, the girl ordered a Butterbeer before turning around to find herself a table, surprised when she sees Gryffindor’s Keeper also in the room. Hoping he didn’t see her, Laura quietly sat a few tables away from him as he looked around the room at the sound of someone else entering the inn. However, he didn’t seem to notice anything as he took another sip of his drink, and Laura found herself constantly glancing at Garrick as she waited for her own drink. When the drink finally arrived, she was so nervous that she accidentally knocked it over, spilling the Butterbeer.

“A-ah!” she cried out. Garrick, upon hearing the noise, looked up and saw Laura with the drink all over her robes. He seemed to think for a second before standing up and walking over to her briskly, looking more menacing than anything else.

Raising his wand, the Gryffindor said, “Scourgify!” As Laura’s robes went back to its clean state, he continued, “You’re the Hufflepuff Seeker, yeah?”

The girl shrank back a bit, intimidated by Garrick’s appearance and also embarrassed by her own clumsiness. “Y-yes…” she managed to stammer out. “Sorry about th-that…”

“S’not a bother to me,” Garrick replied. “Here, come sit with me, we’ll have a chat.” As Laura quietly whispered an “alright”, he crossed back over to where he was sitting, sliding into his seat and picking his drink back up. Laura eventually got up as well and grabbed a seat at his table, making sure to pick a seat not quite across but also not next to him. When the two finally settled down, they sat around in silence for several minutes before Garrick suddenly asked, “You alright?”

“A few too many if you ask me. Hogsmeade tends to be the only time I get to slip away.”

“But I thought, you know, as Captain, and Keeper of Gryffindor, you know…”

“Hmm?”

Embarrassed again, Laura shrank back into her seat. “N-nothing, I don’t know what I’m saying!” she said as she lifted her scarf up, trying to hide her face.

Garrick smiled a bit as he asked, “Are you sure you’re alright?” At that, Laura found herself blushing and only continued to bury her face deeper into her scarf, making strange noises which included what sounded a little like “don’t know” towards the end. Unsure what to make of that, Garrick just said, “Erm, are you going to get another drink?”

Finally pulling herself together, Laura exclaimed, “Ah, yes, of course! Sorry, um, can’t think straight…” She got up and ordered another Butterbeer before running back to her seat, all the while avoiding Garrick’s eyes as she played with her hair again. She found herself muttering “N-Nice weather today… I mean, for Butterbeer, and, yeah…” Her voice trailed off, since she wasn’t quite sure what she was saying.

“Pretty damned cold by my estimation,” Garrick replied nonchalantly as he finished his Butterbeer. “Not to say the cold is bad.”

“Well, it is, um, winter, you know! Snow and everything, yeah.” Laura flinched as her own Butterbeer was set down on the table before she picked it up and took a small sip, being careful not to drop it this time.

The silence dragged on again, almost uncomfortably, before Garrick suddenly said again, “You made quite a catch.”

Laura choked on her Butterbeer from the unexpected praise, coughing a bit before she managed to recover enough to speak. “I-I just got lucky, you know…” Not wanting to seem arrogant, she said, “You did well yourself! I mean, all those saves, and everything.” Garrick, however, looked at her skeptically, and Laura tried to casually take another sip to hide her further blushing.

Waving off the praise, he said, “Keeper’s never been the most important position. I mean, c’mon, when was the last time a game was won by goals, the ’94 World Cup?”

“Um… when Ginny Weasley caught the snitch but Hufflepuff still won?” Laura replied. “But st-still! You did well, and you fly well, and-“

“Wasn’t that also in the 90’s?” Garrick said, ignoring her praise again. Realizing she said too much again, Laura took another sip of her Butterbeer as she sheepishly nodded. The silence continued again before Garrick broke it again, saying, “You know, I don’t see you around much outside Quidditch matches.”

The girl thought about a response, not quite sure how to word it. “Y-yeah… I try to avoid people, especially after I had some weird fans following me around in my second and third year… I try to hide in the dormitories as much as I can. It’s… quiet, yeah.”

“Only place I get quiet is in the library, and only because Madam Pince throws you out if you don’t shut up.”

Laura giggled a little at that. “Th-the Quidditch pitch at night… is also quiet, if you’re not caught out of bed past curfew. I like flying around the hoops to clear my thoughts.”

“That sounds nice…”

“We could, um, I g-guess hang out th-there… when you’re not, ah, busy? I dunno, I mean-“ Laura lifted her mug again, only to find it empty. When it finally dawned on her what she just said, she put the mug back down and hastily got up from her seat. “I-I gotta go, yeah, sorry about that!” she exclaimed. “Um, it was nice talking to you, Garrick!”

“Erm-”Garrick watched as Laura fled from the inn, his reaction too slow to stop her from leaving. “Did I offend her or something…?” he said to himself. Shrugging, he got up to order himself another Butterbeer.

Laura, meanwhile, walked around Hogsmeade, her face buried deep into her scarf as she desperately tried to hide the redness in her face. “Why did I think that was a good idea…”

There were only a few things that Nathan genuinely missed about life in the modernized world of Muggles. Having a notebook and a pen to write with was one of those things, and an important one at that. Nathan was terrible at writing on thin, dry parchment with uncomfortably large quills. The one saving grace of this quill in particular was that it inked itself, saving him a lot of hand cramps when working on long essays.

Fortunately, his letter was nearly finished. He’d gone a couple weeks without writing home, and since his classes for the day were already over, Nathan had decided it was time to send his parents a letter; They liked to stay informed about the things that their son got up to at school. He signed his name with a decisive scrawl, rolled up the small strip of parchment and put it into the pocket of his robe. Up next was the most tiring part of the process; The trip up to the Owlery, at the top of the lone West Tower. He normally wouldn’t have minded the trip much, as he rather enjoyed the scenic Scottish nature. In the winter, however, it was a bitter cold journey.

A while later, having fought the freezing gales of the Scottish winter, Nathan closed the door of the West Tower behind him. Before he even heard the coos of the owl up above his head, he could already smell the piles of their dropping and regurgitations that littered the floor and caked the walls upstairs. The Owlery was cleaned out not nearly often enough. It was odd, really, considering most teachers could probably do it with a simple charm… Then, perhaps, so could he. Maybe it was time he looked up a few cleaning spells; He could stop by the library to find some after trudging back to the castle.

Nathan walked up the few dozen steps to the top of the tower, making sure he didn’t slip, and stepped into the Owlery, where he saw no one but him. He couldn’t blame his fellow students for wanting to hold off sending their letters until the weather cleared up a bit. Most of the hundreds of owls sat inside the hewn-out spaces and on wooden beams barely gave him as much as a glance, except for one; Meryl, a large owl with an intrinsic white-brown pattern. She swooped down onto Nathan’s outstretched arm and hooted softly. ‘Sorry, I didn’t bring you any bacon from breakfast today.’ Nathan said. Meryl tilted her head at the sound of his voice. He scratched her head, and then carefully secured the parchment around her leg. ‘Take this to my parents, okay?’ Nathan said. ‘I know it’s a long flight, but at least you can ride the wind south. I’ll bring you bacon when you’re back, okay?’ Meryl hooted as if she understood, and flew off Nathan’s arm and out the window, disappearing quickly into the falling snow.

The owls that wizards used for their post had interested Nathan for a long time. They were a lot smarter than normal owls, that was certain, as they seemed to be able to understand human speech, put a location to a name. Was it a certain type of magic inflicted on the owls bought in wizard stores, or was it perhaps in their genes, much like magic was in the genes of human beings? Even after a good five years, there was much about the wizarding world that Nathan did not yet understand. It was one of the main reasons he enjoyed his stay at this school so much.

He thought back to the library as he watched the snowstorm rage outside the tower. Wasn’t there something else he was supposed to do there?

~~~

Nathan looked at the layer of dust on the bookshelf, then back to the book he was holding in his arm. He took his wand from his pocket. As the book said, he waved his wand around ‘with an elegant swish in the shape of the letter S’, exclaiming the word ‘Scourgify!’ at the same time- though not too loudly, as this was the library. As if a gust blew over the shelf, the dust swirled from the surface of the wood and the books held on it, and seemed to disappear. Nathan smiled to himself. This would make his life back home easier, at least in three year’s time when he could legally use it.

It wasn’t quite drastic enough the clean out the Owlery, he thought, but perhaps he could increase the spell’s area of effect with enough practice. Perhaps he could ask professor Flitwick if he knew of a better spell, though the old man probably had better things to do than memorize spells used for cleaning. He closed the book, which detailed many spells and charms any Muggle cleaner would kill to be able to perform, such as for cleaning and repairing, removing stains, strengthening fragile objects, keeping your hands filth-free and other magical solutions to menial tasks and minor discomforts. Nathan doubted he would find a book with more cleaning spells than this one. As he put it back on the shelf, he suddenly remembered the other book he had wanted to read; One that contained information on the prestigious full-blood families of the British wizarding community. He thought back to his conversation with the Slytherin girl from one of those very families, in the carriage on the way to school.

The problem was, Nathan didn’t know for the life of him where he would even start to look for such a book. He did not want to ask Madam Pince. Anything, ever. Just then, through the space between the books and the shelf above them, he saw another student walk by. Perhaps they knew the library’s system of organisation better than he did- Not a difficult feat to accomplish. It was a worth a shot, in any case; If they did know, he wouldn’t have to scour all the different bookcases again. He stepped around the bookcase and made his presence known with a quick ‘Sorry, can I ask you something?’, trying to give his voice even just the slightest semblance of a regular British accent. ‘Would you happen to know where I can find a book- any book- on pure-blood wizarding families?’

(OOC; Lame ending, sorry. I wasn’t quite sure how to make it properly interactive, but I hope you guys can roll with it. Anyway, yay, activity! I do apologize for neglecting to post anything in a long time. We should discuss in the RP discussion- Or Shiny's conversation- how we turn this into a proper library scene. I'll be happy to edit in things to facilitate.)

Brodie strutted his way into the library with a determined stride, so full of encouragement from his unexpected meeting with his sister back at Hogsmeade that he hardly cared that he was covered in slush from the sudden snowstorm that had just started blowing in on his way back into the castle. Perhaps a great deal of his attention was drawn to the strange twitchy feeling he was getting in his ears, almost as if they were trying to perk up like a dog's...It was a sensation he wasn't familiar with, but he was too focused on getting back to his work to question it any further.

With a wad of parchment in one hand and a book in the other, Brodie had started towards a table a good distance away from most of the activity in the area when he was suddenly stopped by another student standing before him. The Gryffindor had tensed up for a moment at the sudden encounter with a stranger, but once he realized this was a wizard from the Hufflepuff house, he relaxed a little. Hufflepuffs tended to be the easiest non-Gryffindor students for him to talk to.

"Pure-blood wizarding families you say?" he said in response to the boy's question. "Heh...I hate to disappoint you, mate, but you probably picked the worst fellow in the entire school to ask that," he admitted with a sheepish shake of his head. "To be honest, I have enough trouble finding any sort of book around here, let alone something like that," he added as he went to pass by the Hufflepuff before stopping himself. Perhaps it was a bit of his procrastination kicking back in, or maybe it was his conscience screaming at him to take this opportunity to help out a potential new friend for once, but whatever the case, he felt like being of a little more assistance.

"I suppose I could still help you look around if you want. It might do me some good to finally learn my way around all these shelves after all this time, what with the big tests coming up soon."

A bit away from the present commotion, sitting at a table with his chair leaned back ever so slightly, was another young fifth year. Slytherin house, as identified by his robes. Short auburn hair and pale skin from spending most of the winter months locked away in the Slytherin dungeon. He had only left for class, but, at the urging of his father through letters, he had finally gone down to the library to study for his OWL exam.

Or at least, that had been the original intent. Instead the boy, Damian, had gotten sidetracked by a book about animagi. Damian's father was a registered Animagus, and had been teaching Damian the necessary skills to unlock the potential as well. Damian had continued his study and practice by himself, and believed that, before the school year ended, he would have unlocked the secret. He just needed to be absolutely sure before attempting it. If anything went wrong, there would be no fixing his mistake.

Closing the book in front of him, Damian instead turned to another on the same subject, this one focusing more on the skill than the people. Also scattered around the table in front of him were a number of textbooks on a variety of subjects, the things he was probably supposed to be reading right now. Damian had never really cared for such things, though. He had planned to follow his father's footsteps and become a doctor, a real doctor, not some silly medical wizard.

That was still years away, though. Right now, all the boy cared about was the book in front of him. Moving the tome to his lap, he leaned a little bit further in his chair, completely engrossed. This book wasn't exactly a gold mine of information, but it was as good as he could expect on the subject, Damian suspected.

Sid could feel his frustration rising as he got up from his seat yet again to retrieve yet another book from the library’s shelves. While his twin sister Rose loved the library and willingly spent hours here, it was Sid’s own personal hell and represented the backwardness of doing research compared to the Muggle world like nothing else. Back home he could use a computer, heck even his phone, to tell him exactly where to find what he needed. As far as he knew, there was no way to replicate that using magic in such a specific way. He was not lazy, but he was in no way a fan of inefficiency.

As if he needed to be reminded of home at a time like this. He really wanted to do well on the History of Magic essay he was supposed to be doing and it was hard to remain focused. He did well in all of his other classes, except this one. His grades largely reflected the class itself: they were both dire. OWLs were fast approaching and he did not want to get a Troll in History of Magic just because he couldn’t be bothered to stay awake in the class. Rose would never let him hear the end of it.

He glided between the shelves looking for any books on goblin magic in regards to wizarding aggression; upon finding a promising book, he made to go back to the table with the rest of his belongings.

At that moment, Sid looked up and saw Brodie and a Hufflepuff boy whose name he never bothered to learn talking near one of the large shelves of books. He highly doubted either of them knew any more about the library than he did. And considering he had only two lines written on his roll of parchment (something else he wished would die a thousand deaths. If he never saw another roll of parchment after he left school it would be too soon) he thought better of going to talk to them. He went back to seat and began looking through the book, but a scowl quickly formed on his face.

Unfortunately this book proved to be yet another dud.

“Oh for goodness sakes,” Sid exclaimed loudly as he slammed the book down on the table. The other students around him, most of whom were Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, looked scandalized, but Sid glared at them. “What are you looking at?”

The intimidation factor worked. They all turned back to their work without putting up a fight and looked like they were sorry for responding at all. Perhaps the story about what happened on the train had spread. Perhaps they all knew how he felt about know-it-all’s like them. He’d had classes with some of them, and had seen the way they turned up their noses at he and his friends when they were having a bit of fun...

'Pure-blood wizarding families, you say?' The brown-haired student dressed in Gryffindor robes asked. He shook his head. 'Heh, I hate to disappoint you, mate, but you probably picked the worst fellow in the entire school to ask that.' He admitted, looking sheepish. 'To be honest, I have enough trouble finding any sort of book around here, let alone something like that...' He hestitated for a moment. 'I suppose I could still help you look around, if you want. It might do me some good to finally learn my way around all these shelves after all this time, what with the big tests coming up soon.' Nathan smiled at him. 'Yeah, it's always a good idea to dig for some extra information. Our standard issue books just don't cut it sometimes. I appreciate the help!' He said. 'I've no idea where to start either, to be honest. But if we both pick somewhere to start looking, we'll find something twice as fast, right?'

The hushed atmosphere of the library was suddenly broken by a loud thump, followed by an even louder 'For goodness' sakes!' Nathan and several other students all turned around to face the agitated Gryffindor standing by the table. He shot them all an angry gaze. 'What're you looking at?' He spat, and everyone was quick to turn away.

'... I guess you might not be the only one who's stressed out by the upcoming tests.' Nathan mumbled to the boy next to him with a mischievous smile. He offered his hand to the boy. 'I'm Nathan, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you.' He greeted.

Brodie chuckled at Nathan's reaction to Sid's overall loudness, something that he was now quite familiar with.

"I wouldn't pay much mind to him if I were you. Old Sid there is probably even less familiar with this place than I am, and for someone as...outspoken, per se, as he is, he's most definitely out of his comfort zone," he said, graciously shaking the boy's hand as he introduced himself.

"The pleasure's all mine, Nathan. Name's Brodie. I have to admit I haven't met that many Hufflepuffs in recent memory, outside of the fellow I met back on the train back in the beginning of the year...as well as Laura of course. You guys seem like a delightful group though, so, it's great to meet another one of ya!" he said, hoping he had stopped himself from rambling too much and bothering this new acquaintance of his.

"Okay, now then, books on pure-bloods...Suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask someone else before we just look around blindly, perhaps someone who's more knowledgeable about where all the books are around here..." Brodie murmured as he went about conducting a quick survey over the other wizards and witches around, looking to see which ones appeared to fit his description the most. Eventually his eyes settled on another boy who appeared about his age who was sitting at a table with textbooks and the like scattered all around it. That was as good a sign as any in Brodie's eyes.

"I bet that kid over there knows a thing or too. Let's go ask him," he suggested to Nathan before walking over to the table where the other boy was poring over one of the books at his disposal with great interest. Brodie was rather surprised that he was suddenly more than willing to associate with random classmates he had never met before, but perhaps the cheery disposition that Nathan had given off had rubbed off on him for a bit, enough to give him some confidence socially.

"Uh, I beg your pardon, but do you think I could ask you a quick question?" Brodie said as he neared the boy, only now noticing two things that immediately caught his attention: the color of the boy's robes, and the book he was currently reading. While he was absolutely stunned and more than a little excited to see another student interested in the abilities of the animagi, he wasn't quite so hyped about the fact that the student happened to be a Slytherin.

'Of course he would be from the rival house, just my luck...all right, Brodie, just calm down and forget about it. Not all Slytherins are elitist snobs, that's just a select few, he's probably just ambitious or something. Just don't judge...' he thought to himself as he stood somewhat awkwardly near the auburn haired boy.

Oooh, someone wasn't having fun. Damian glanced up from his book, at the student who had just summoned the wrath of Madam Pince. The harpy didn't appear immediately, however, giving the student, a Gryffindor male, enough time to turn his attention from his books to the students gawking at him. Damian returned to his book with a slight smirk on his face, waiting for the appearance of the librarian to provide him a show.

Before that could happen, though, a pair of students walked up to him. A Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff. Interesting. The Gryffindor student wanted to know something. He was apparently waiting to see what Damian said before continuing with his question. He closed his book and placed it on the table, bringing his chair back down as he did so.

To Brodie's relief, the Slytherin seemed nice enough, at least willing to listen to what they had to ask. Turning around to see if Nathan had followed him, the Gryffindor noticed the Hufflepuff student was taking his time to get over to them and decided, before he brought up the question of the books, he'd bring up a question of his own.

"Thanks for taking the time then...Uh, I suppose the first thing is concerning that book of yours. I don't wish to pry too much, but, have you been studying up on becoming an Animagus as well?" He figured he already knew the answer to that, but, all the same, he was hoping he could find out how much progress this boy had made. Perhaps they could even help each other out, if he was lucky enough.